


The Warmth of Another

by orphan_account



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Engineer is mentioned - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, Medic is mentioned - Freeform, Sleepy Times, Soldier is mentioned - Freeform, scout cries like baby man - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 10:16:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4702349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scout's clothes are thoroughly soaked.  He is muddy, wet, and a ferocious chill has reached his core.  He is jogging back to base, trying to regulate his breath while he shivers and twitches.</p>
<p>"Shit, man..  Why'd it have ta rain tonight?"  He muttered to himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Warmth of Another

Scout's clothes are thoroughly soaked. He is muddy, wet, and a ferocious chill has reached his core. He is jogging back to base, trying to regulate his breath while he shivers and twitches.

"Shit, man.. Why'd it have ta rain tonight?" He muttered to himself.

* * *

 Recently, he had been having more and more nightmares than in the past. The nightmares varied in intensity; some were downright pain and death, and some were more subtle - like a dream involving Spy being his father. Just recalling such a dream made him shudder.

This morning, he had jolted awake, drenched in sweat and hyperventilating. It had been hard to catch his breath again, and when he did he was still breathing harshly. Whenever he has been frightened awake by a nightmare, it is impossible for him to fall asleep again. Knowing he would not get even a second more of shut-eye, Scout groans and looks at the clock. It reads 2:20 A.M. So he tosses the messy sheet off of himself, swings his legs off of the tiny cot, and slides out of bed. As soon as he stands up his head pounds and he sees stars as the blood rushes to his head, he stumbles and grabs onto his dresser for support. After a few moments of wooziness, Scout does not feel like his head is about to explode anymore.

Opening the creaky and broken closet door, Scout grabs a shirt and a pair of pants and throws them on. It does not matter to him that his shirt is inside out and backwards or that his pants or unzipped - his heartbeat is still pounding in his ears. Through the halls of the base and out the door Scout runs at top speed, feet slapping the floor loudly. He flings the exit doors open and continues to run. It is not like he has a destination; he is just running from the nightmares. He loses track of time when he runs, and a feeling of euphoria comes over him once he surpasses his exhaustion limit.

The sky is covered in dark, stormy clouds. If Scout had been paying any attention at all, he would have noticed that it had begun to sprinkle. Instead, he pays no mind and runs until the muddy earth makes him slip, land on his face, and slide. He pulls his face out of the mud with a loud squelch, and the mud is sliding down his face and it has clumped his hair together. Rain - or are those tears? - are carving streaks in the mud all over his face.

While attempting to stand up, Scout slips a few times here and there in the mud. His clothes are already the dirtiest they have been in a while, so he guesses it does not matter much if they have 3 layers of mud or 6. Medic will be mad about all the mess, for sure. He and Engineer are the ones who deals with the laundry, but Medic is the one who cleans obsessively.

It was a long run back to base, and by the time Scout reaches the doors, his body is frigid and his teeth are chattering. As soon as Scout steps inside, he sheds all of his clothes, letting the warmth in the air seep into his skin. However, he is still freezing. Scout just wants to slip into bed, but he would never be able to bring his heat up fast enough. The showers are not on at this time of night, and there is only one person in the base that would allow Scout into their own bed. That would be Demoman. Scout feels kind of guilty for always telling exaggerated stories to him, but Scout just wants to impress him. The man always congratulates him when Scout sidles up to him and starts bragging. Scout is not sure if Demo is indifferent towards him, or he is always too drunk to care that there is always chattering in his ear.

Without knocking, he silently opens the door to Demo's room, and shuts it as quietly as he can. This does not amount to much, because all the doors on the base creak no matter what you do. Demo sleeps right through the screeching sounds that his door makes.

Scout walks up to Demo's bed, and stares down at the man hesitantly. He is facing the wall and his limbs are all over the place, one arm under the pillow, the other arm flung out infront of him, fingers twitching. His legs are positioned in a way that seems like someone took a freeze frame of a person running.

Lifting up the edge of Demo's sheets, he slips under and wriggles close to him. The first thing Scout notices is that Demo is very warm. Very, very warm. Laying next to him is like sitting right beside a fireplace during the winter. The warmth is short-lived when the still-sleeping Demoman decides that whatever this cold thing is, it should not be in the bed. Demo pushes Scout out of the bed, and he lands on the floor with a thump and a groan - and that wakes Demo up, out of all things.

Leaning over the edge of the bed, a bewildered Demo stares at Scout, who is on the floor, in his undies, his hair caked with mud, and is shivering like mad.

"Uh, Demo, ya know, I got a very good explanation for this. It's just that I, um, left it in m-my room, so.. I'll just be goin' now," Scout spews words, not really thinking about if they make sense. He just wants to leave and get this embarrassing situation over with.

Demo does not respond, he just stares at Scout, whose face is turning bright red. Sighing through his nose, Demo lifts up the blankets on his bed with one arm to create an opening for Scout to get in, and raises an eyebrow. "Well, lad?" he murmurs, voice drowsy.

He does not have to ask twice. Scout practically leaps into the bed, keeping a moderate distance from Demo, not wanting to make it any more awkward.

"I'm not gay or anythin', 'kay? I'm just really cold and the showers are off.."

There is no response from Demo. Scout's mouth shuts with a snap, and Demo wraps his arms around Scout to pull him closer.

"Bloody hell, lad. You're cold as a chunk of ice."

Scout grumbles in reply and pulls his legs and arms in as close as he can, curling up against Demo. Within a few minutes, Demo is asleep again, breathing at a steady pace. Scout is warm and cozy now, also drifting off to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, when Soldier walks through the halls, banging pots and pans together to wake everyone up, the legs of the runner and the demolitions expert were tangled together, and Demo was crushing Scout to his chest as if the smaller man were a gigantic teddy bear. Scout could not find anything wrong with this situation. He had not had any nightmares, knowing that someone else was there right near him.

**Author's Note:**

> The world needs more Demoscout in it. Hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
